March 27, 2011

MVP Profile: Marcus Allen, 1985

Prelude:
After winning the 1981 Heisman Trophy at USC, Allen was chosen by the Raiders in the first round of the ’82 draft. In the strike-shortened 1982 season, he led the NFL with 1098 yards from scrimmage, 14 TDs, and 84 points. He gained over a thousand yards rushing in each of the next two seasons, with a high of 1168 yards in ’84, when he again led the league in touchdowns with 18. He also was the MVP of the Super Bowl following the ’83 season, after rushing for 191 yards. Allen caught a total of 170 passes for 1749 yards in his first three years. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro in 1982 and was selected to the Pro Bowl twice.

1985 Season Summary
Appeared and started in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Raiders went 12-4 to finish first in the AFC West with the best record in the conference. Lost Divisional playoff to New England Patriots (27-20).

Aftermath:
Allen played another 12 years in the NFL, and went to the Pro Bowl again in 1986, ’87, and ’93, but never again ran for a thousand yards or caught more than 51 passes. Bothered by injuries (and involved in disputes with owner Al Davis), he shared time with other running backs during the remainder of his career with the Raiders, most notably Bo Jackson. Signing with the Chiefs as a free agent in 1993 reinvigorated his career at age 33, and he led the NFL with 12 rushing touchdowns. Allen retired in 1997 with 123 career touchdowns, as well as 12,243 rushing yards and 587 pass receptions for another 5412 yards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2003.

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MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).